Allison Bruning's Blog, page 53
December 10, 2012
CWA: A Florida Paradise
Paradise awaits you watch the sunrise over the crisp blue ocen. Such beauty and grace surround you. You could feel the laid back spirit of Florida. You grab your satchel and join the other passengers as Tasha yells for everyone to disembark. You smile as you see Dalton slip his hand ontop of Tasha. It didn't take long for those to make up. Hopefully, with Tasha revived affections for Dalton she would leave her investigation alone. May be you can hide some of your stash on this stop. It would give you a perfect excuse to come back to Florida. But you doubt it. You can't trust Tasha anymore. Not after the little encounter you had with her yesterday. No, it would be best to keep to yourself and just enjoy all that Florida has to offer.
[image error] Florida 2008 by mathewingram
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/mathewin... Hi, my name's Teague McMurtry. Some folks would call me a hick. From their perspective, I probably am. From my own, I'm a quiet country boy who has a way of finding trouble – or maybe it's that trouble finds me.Anyhow, a friend of mine asked me to show you folks aroundthe area, get to know my neck of the woods, literally – since I'm the back country of Florida. I live in a small city you've never heard of, that's south of Daytona Beach. I rent a small house on Riverside Drive that runs along the banks of the Halifax River, also known as the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. I've been here a few months and can't get over how peaceful it is near the water.I grew up along the river and spent every minute I couldbetween there and the beach. Ironic that I joined the military and ended up spending several years in Afghanistan. Florida boy in the desert. At least it had sand.So, I came home a few months ago, thinking I'd put all thatbehind me, only to come up against a threat worse than any I faced over there. This was calculated, targeted, personal. Despite all that, I got the heart of a good woman for my efforts.I'm gonna show you around and let you get a feel for theplace so you can understand where I'm coming from. This is my house on Riverside. It sits up on a sand dune cause at one time, that river right across the road, was the ocean and this was the beach. My house overlooks the water with a clear view of the islands in the middle.We wander on down the road, heading south, we pass the policestation on our right. A little further down from there, that's where I got tangled up with the bike gang. Had me a time with those folks. Started out with one guy following me, but thanks to the gated communities around here, he couldn't get at me.Now, I'm gonna take you down to visit my Uncle Billy. Heowns a deep sea fishing business as well as the best seafood restaurant in the area. He also works as a taxidermist, preserving the sports fish his clients catch. His place looks like a run down fish camp. The building is low and long, built from weathered wood that doesn't look like it would hold up in a stiff breeze. It may not look like much, but this place has been here over a hundred years, built by some member of his family. It's seen more hurricanes than you can imagine.The whole place is surrounded by thick vegetation – pine andpalm trees, palmettos, scrub oaks, live oaks, water oaks and even some cactus. Thought we'd lose the place about 15 years ago. Fires swept through our area. Thankfully, the fires missed the property where the restaurant and house sit, but tore up all around here. It's only started really growing back in the last five years.Uncle Tack's place up in Astor, where we're headed next, gotburned down and had to be rebuilt. This is the new place here. It's about an hour, hour and a half from where I live. Astor was the site of our family's original homestead. We've been here since around 1755, give or take, after the British traded Florida for Cuba in 1754. This was once a sugar mill and a salt processing plant. We found some pieces of the left over structures when they went to rebuild this place.
This cabin is built to look just like the one that sat here before the fires. It looks old and rustic, but it's got all the modern comforts, including indoor plumbing. Tack runs it like a bed and breakfast for folks who want the outdoor experience without all the fuss. Or, they can go out into the Ocala National Forest and get good and lost in all that nature. I worked as a guide for folks who want to go camping or bike trailing, hiking and the like. I'm almost as at home up in the deep woods as I am on the water.
The last place I'm gonna take you is up into the springs. My favorite is Alexander Springs, but they're all beautiful. The springs dot all of Florida. There's also an underwater cave system that runs all down the state. It's a hell of a trip to scuba dive the caves. You see beauty like you'll never see anywhere else. All through the Ocala National Forest, you'll find campgrounds, hiking trails, biking paths and all kinds of outdoor facilities that are open all year round for tourists and locals to enjoy.
Well, that wraps up our tour. Nothing more to see but the place where we took Randy and his biker gang down. If it hadn't been for my family, that would have been an entirely different story. I can't tell you what it meant to me and Vivica to have their support. That's what family's about, sticking up for, protecting and helping each other. Yup, family is important and mine is among the best there is.
I hope you enjoyed our short tour. Y'all feel free to have a look around and ask any questions you might have. I'll do my best to answer them.
[image error]
http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Oakes_Dellani/the-ninja-tattoo.htm
Who is Dellani Oakes?
[image error] Dellani Oakes is a less than crazy, but slightly more than quite normal, author who lives in a small city south of Daytona Beach, Florida. Her novella, “The Ninja Tattoo”, was inspired by something that happened to her. No, nothing as dramatic as happens to Teague and Vivica, but though provoking, none the less.
http://www.facebook.com/dellanioakeshttp://dellanioakes.wordpress.com/http://dellanischoice.wordpress.com/http://writersanctuary.blogspot.com/@DellaniOakes
[image error] Florida 2008 by mathewingram
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/mathewin... Hi, my name's Teague McMurtry. Some folks would call me a hick. From their perspective, I probably am. From my own, I'm a quiet country boy who has a way of finding trouble – or maybe it's that trouble finds me.Anyhow, a friend of mine asked me to show you folks aroundthe area, get to know my neck of the woods, literally – since I'm the back country of Florida. I live in a small city you've never heard of, that's south of Daytona Beach. I rent a small house on Riverside Drive that runs along the banks of the Halifax River, also known as the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. I've been here a few months and can't get over how peaceful it is near the water.I grew up along the river and spent every minute I couldbetween there and the beach. Ironic that I joined the military and ended up spending several years in Afghanistan. Florida boy in the desert. At least it had sand.So, I came home a few months ago, thinking I'd put all thatbehind me, only to come up against a threat worse than any I faced over there. This was calculated, targeted, personal. Despite all that, I got the heart of a good woman for my efforts.I'm gonna show you around and let you get a feel for theplace so you can understand where I'm coming from. This is my house on Riverside. It sits up on a sand dune cause at one time, that river right across the road, was the ocean and this was the beach. My house overlooks the water with a clear view of the islands in the middle.We wander on down the road, heading south, we pass the policestation on our right. A little further down from there, that's where I got tangled up with the bike gang. Had me a time with those folks. Started out with one guy following me, but thanks to the gated communities around here, he couldn't get at me.Now, I'm gonna take you down to visit my Uncle Billy. Heowns a deep sea fishing business as well as the best seafood restaurant in the area. He also works as a taxidermist, preserving the sports fish his clients catch. His place looks like a run down fish camp. The building is low and long, built from weathered wood that doesn't look like it would hold up in a stiff breeze. It may not look like much, but this place has been here over a hundred years, built by some member of his family. It's seen more hurricanes than you can imagine.The whole place is surrounded by thick vegetation – pine andpalm trees, palmettos, scrub oaks, live oaks, water oaks and even some cactus. Thought we'd lose the place about 15 years ago. Fires swept through our area. Thankfully, the fires missed the property where the restaurant and house sit, but tore up all around here. It's only started really growing back in the last five years.Uncle Tack's place up in Astor, where we're headed next, gotburned down and had to be rebuilt. This is the new place here. It's about an hour, hour and a half from where I live. Astor was the site of our family's original homestead. We've been here since around 1755, give or take, after the British traded Florida for Cuba in 1754. This was once a sugar mill and a salt processing plant. We found some pieces of the left over structures when they went to rebuild this place.
This cabin is built to look just like the one that sat here before the fires. It looks old and rustic, but it's got all the modern comforts, including indoor plumbing. Tack runs it like a bed and breakfast for folks who want the outdoor experience without all the fuss. Or, they can go out into the Ocala National Forest and get good and lost in all that nature. I worked as a guide for folks who want to go camping or bike trailing, hiking and the like. I'm almost as at home up in the deep woods as I am on the water.
The last place I'm gonna take you is up into the springs. My favorite is Alexander Springs, but they're all beautiful. The springs dot all of Florida. There's also an underwater cave system that runs all down the state. It's a hell of a trip to scuba dive the caves. You see beauty like you'll never see anywhere else. All through the Ocala National Forest, you'll find campgrounds, hiking trails, biking paths and all kinds of outdoor facilities that are open all year round for tourists and locals to enjoy.
Well, that wraps up our tour. Nothing more to see but the place where we took Randy and his biker gang down. If it hadn't been for my family, that would have been an entirely different story. I can't tell you what it meant to me and Vivica to have their support. That's what family's about, sticking up for, protecting and helping each other. Yup, family is important and mine is among the best there is.
I hope you enjoyed our short tour. Y'all feel free to have a look around and ask any questions you might have. I'll do my best to answer them.
[image error]
http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Oakes_Dellani/the-ninja-tattoo.htm
Who is Dellani Oakes?
[image error] Dellani Oakes is a less than crazy, but slightly more than quite normal, author who lives in a small city south of Daytona Beach, Florida. Her novella, “The Ninja Tattoo”, was inspired by something that happened to her. No, nothing as dramatic as happens to Teague and Vivica, but though provoking, none the less.
http://www.facebook.com/dellanioakeshttp://dellanioakes.wordpress.com/http://dellanischoice.wordpress.com/http://writersanctuary.blogspot.com/@DellaniOakes
LID: Cyrus The Great: The First #HumanRights Leader
[image error] human rights by Sean McEntee
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/5...
December 10 International Human RightsDay
Today is a very important day for the entire world. International Human Rights Day. Webster's dictionary defines Human Rights as "rights (as freedom from unlawful imprisonment, torture, and execution) regarded as belonging fundamentally to all persons." The idea of the sancity of human life is prevalent in many religions and has roots in ancient times. The oldest Charter of Human Rights dates to the 6th century. Known as the Cyrus Cylinder it was discovered in 1879 among the Babylon ruins of Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) by the Assyro-British archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam in the foundations of the Esagila (the Marduk temple of Babylon). It is housed in the British Museum in London.
Who Was Cyrus? [image error] http://www.iranchamber.com/history/cy... the Great was born in 576BC in Anshan to Cambyses I and Mandane. Cambyses was King of Ashan during the early 6th century. Mandane was the daughter of the daughter of King Astyages, who was the last emperor of the Median dynastic empire (728-550BCE).
According to the ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, King Astyages had a dream that his daughter, Mandane, would give birth to a son that would destroy his empire. In response, he gave Mandane to Cambyses. After Cyrus' birth, King Astyages once again had a dream foretelling the destruction of his empire at the hands of Mandane's son. He hired one of his followers, Harpagus, to kill the newborn. Harpagus couldn't do it. Instead he gave Cyrus to Mitridates, a shepard. Mitridates and his wife, Spako, had just lost their newborn. Mitridates took the newborn prince home. When Cyrus was ten years old, King Astyages learned of the Harpagus' deception and was so outraged that he has Harpagu's son killed then served as the main course in a feast. He ordered Cyrus to his courts. King Astyages had planned to kill Cyrus but at the advice of his Magi, who had interpreted the dreams before and told the king to eliminate the threat, he allowed Cyrus to return to his parents. Cyrus was educated as a prince. After Cambyses' death in 559 AD, Cyrus took his father's throne. In 553 AD, at the advice of an eager Harpagus, who wanted revenge for his son's horrible death, Cyrus rebelled against his grandfather. The battle between them took three years. In the third year of battle, King Astyages troops mutinied at the Battle of Pasargadae. Cyrus captured his grandfather, conquered his kingdom but never killed him. King Astyages lived in Cyrus' palace for the rest of his life. He was constantly harassed by Harpagus.
By conquering his grandfather's empire, Cyrus united the Persian and the Medes under one rule. He began to build his own empire by appointing both Persian and Median officials, thus creating unity between the two groups. Cyrus' empire was called the Achaemenid Empire. We know it as the Persian Empire. After the then set his eyes upon expanding his own empire. Prior to his control Cyrus world looked like this: [image error] Public Domain
By the end of his campaigns, Cyrus had transformed his empire and changed the map:
[image error] The Achaemenid Empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great (superimposed on modern borders). Created by User:SG, released as GFDL @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Per...
Cyrus created the largest empire the world has ever known. As Cyrus conquered the world he did not eliminate any culture or force his own beliefs upon them but accepted people for who they are. He only demanded on thing from them: To accept him as his emperor. In biblical history, after he conquered Babylon, Cyrus allowed the Jews that were living in exile to return to their homelands. In response, the Jews declared Cyrus an honorable and righteous king.
Cyrus managed his vast empire by establishing four capitals. These being Pasargadae, Babylon, Susa and Ekbatana. He allowed each of them to maintain their autonomy over their regions and had set them up as vassals. He maintained control over his vast empire by working with the capitals and not against them. He would adjust their borders periodically making certain to keep the peace between the four regions.
Cyrus' had an everlasting effect on the human rights throughout the world. In 2003, after being awarded the Noble Peace Prize Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer, said this about Cyrus the Great, "I am an Iranian, a descendant of Cyrus the Great. This emperor proclaimed at the pinnacle of power 2,500 years ago that he 'would not reign over the people if they did not wish it.' He promised not to force any person to change his religion and faith and guaranteed freedom for all. The Charter of Cyrus the Great should be studied in the history of human rights."
Cyrus' Private Life Cyrus was deeply in love with his wife, Cassandane. Cassandane was the daughter of Pharnaspes. She bore Cyrus four children; Cambyses II, Bardiya (Smerdis), Atossa, and another daughter whose name is not attested in the ancient sources. A fifth child, a daughter named Artystone, may not be Cassandane's daughter. Artystone married Darius the Great and gave birth to Xerxes I.
Cassandane was so in love with Cyrus that on her death bed she was bitter that would soon be departed from her husband. The Nabonidus Chronicle, an ancient Babylonian text, states after Cassandane passed the entire empire mourned publicly for six days from 21–26 March 538 BC. She was buried at Cyrus' capital of Pasargadae. After her death, Cyrus married once more to a noble Persian woman.
[image error] London 016 Cyrus Cylinder British museum by David Holt
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/zongo/70...
The Cyrus Cylinder The Cyrus Cylinder is considered to be the first Charter of Human Rights and was translated in six languages by the United Nations in 1971. The cylinder is made of baked clay in the shape of a barrel cylinder measuring 22.5 centimetres (8.9 in) by 10 centimetres (3.9 in) at its maximum diameter.
The inscription is written in Akkadian cuneiform and is broken down into six parts.
Lines 1–19: an introduction revealing Nabonidus and associating Cyrus with the god Marduk; it declares the crimes against the deposed Babylonian king, Nabonidus. It charges him with desecrating the temples and imposing force labor upon his subjects. As such the Babylonian god, Marduk, had searched for a new king. Marduk had chosen Cyrus the Great to rule over his people. Lines 20–22: details Cyrus's royal titles and genealogy, and his peaceful entry to Babylon; Cyrus' army had entered Babylon peacefully on October 12, 539 BC. Cyrus entered the city on October 29, 539.Lines 22–34: a commendation of Cyrus's policy of restoring Babylon;Lines 34–35: a prayer to Marduk on behalf of Cyrus and his son Cambyses;The above part of the text are in third person. After line 35, the narrative changes to first person. Here Cyrus the Great address the reader as if he is personally speaking to them. It says:
Lines 36–37: a declaration that Cyrus has enabled the people to live in peace and has increased the offerings made to the gods;Now that I put the crown of kingdom of Iran, Babylon, and the nations of the four directions on the head with the help of (Ahura) Mazda, I announce that I will respect the traditions, customs and religions of the nations of my empire and never let any of my governors and subordinates look down on or insult them until I am alive. From now on, till (Ahura) Mazda grants me the kingdom favor, I will impose my monarchy on no nation. Each is free to accept it , and if any one of them rejects it , I never resolve on war to reign. Until I am the king of Iran, Babylon, and the nations of the four directions, I never let anyone oppress any others, and if it occurs , I will take his or her right back and penalize the oppressor. And until I am the monarch, I will never let anyone take possession of movable and landed properties of the others by force or without compensation. Until I am alive, I prevent unpaid, forced labor. To day, I announce that everyone is free to choose a religion. People are free to live in all regions and take up a job provided that they never violate other's rights. No one could be penalized for his or her relatives' faults. I prevent slavery and my governors and subordinates are obliged to prohibit exchanging men and women as slaves within their own ruling domains. Such a traditions should be exterminated the world over. I implore to (Ahura) Mazda to make me succeed in fulfilling my obligations to the nations of Iran (Persia), Babylon, and the ones of the four directions.
Lines 38–45: details of the building activities ordered by Cyrus in Babylon
A Worldwide Declaration On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You can read the entire declaration on their site at http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtmlIn honor of this momentous event, people throughout the world celebrate International Human Rights Day.
December 9, 2012
CWA: Something's #fishy in Pharsis
The crowd gathers in the bustling town square of the seaport city of Pharsis. You meander your way through the groups of passengers holding your satchel close to your body. After a few days of not being able to steal anything you were going to make certain to gather more evidence against Tasha and Dalton's secret cruise. They may try to wipe your mind after the cruise is over but you'll have the items you stole and your journal to remind you of the truth. Tasha and Dalton were manipulating people's minds so the people would create literary and artist works based on their experiences. Only thing was the people would think it was something they had created not something they had experienced. You know this secret project came out of the great need to preserve art in America. After all, the arts were in constant danger of extinction in the United States. Creativity just wasn't something valued by schools and politicians. But still to go to such lengths as to create doppelgangers so that the real participants could enjoy the cruise without losing their jobs and to make certain the participants forgot they were even on the cruise to begin with after the cruise was over. That was way too much. You wonder just how long had Tasha and Dalton been working with the United States military to create this little scenario.
You jump as someone places their hand on your shoulder. You turned around. Tasha stands before you. "I wanted to thank you for finding the thief," she says lowering her hand.
"You're welcome."
"Are you certain that soldier you killed was the only one?"
The only one? Hadn't you set up that situation perfectly in Scotland. Why would Tasha be asking that unless she had valued reasons to suspect something else.
"I'm sure. Why?"
"I just want to make certain. I would hate to have some piece of a zombie show up in the United States."
"I doubt that will happen." You know that won't happen because that trip scared the living heck out of you. "Tasha, there hasn't been any other incidents, has there?"
"No, but not all of the items stolen have been located. We check that soldier's quarters after we got rid of the body. The room was clean and we've questioned her unit. She was an upstanding soldier with no need to steal. Served five tours with us already with no incidents. It just doesn't make sense for her to start stealing when she could have done so long time ago."
"Do the soldiers have their minds wiped after the cruise?"
"Never. I need them to remember everything in case there are complications. They don't live on a base. They live on the ship. Every soldier on this ship has been declared missing in action"
"Why?"
"Because this ship does more than give cruises. You know the crew numbers and how many MIA there are listed in the United States. Do the math."
You think for a moment. "More than 83,000 if you count from World War II to the 1991 Iraq War," you answer.
"I have plenty of people to chose from. I have 1,000 crew members not counting the standing unit of 600 army soldiers and 600 navy sailors. Everyone on works on this ship is from those missing. They are exclusively selected for the duties they hold. Now I have one dead soldier that need to be replaced."
"How do you get them?"
"Time travel. How else?" Tasha taps you on the arm. "I could just recruit you."
"Oh, no. I'm retired, remember?"
"Give it a thought. I could make it worth your while." Tasha chimes then walks away from you. She starts to gather everyone to welcome the next tour guide. You stand bewildered and confused. What else isn't Tasha telling you?
[image error] Harbor Cottages by crabchick
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/crabchic...
Can you smell it? No? You will. The scent and stench of the great city of Pharsis will creep across the water, until suddenly you are aware of it. It will grow until it drowns the sea.
The distinctive scents of the different quarters will bustle against each other, all competing for your attention. The flower markets of the eastern quarter, where I buy the raw ingredients of my trade. The butchers’ quarter with its shops and slaughterhouses and the stench of animals in their terror. The sharp smell of metalworkers’ lanes, with the rhythm of hammers on warm copper. And of course the richness of the Carnival Road, the spices of the world gathered in hessian bags. My own road, the Carnival Road, a place of elaborate perfumes.
If you focus you will detect the heart and base notes of daily life: the brown aroma of baking, the creamy yellow of newly washed linen in the sun, woodsmoke from a million stoves in as many homes. And above it all the stench of millions, labouring, loving and dying
Now you smell it. Ah yes, that smell of frying fish. When we get into harbour you will see crowds gathered around the small boats moored at the quayside. Each boat has a pan of boiling oil, swaying from metal chains over a large charcoal burner. The fish is so fresh that it might leap out of the frying pan into the sea and swim away. Whenever I return from my journeys I buy a portion and eat it with my fingers, watching the big ships come and go. It is this last scent that tells me I am home. Join me in my feast.
When we have picked the bones clean and fed the fishheads to the gulls, I will lead you up one of the many roads that lead from the port to Pharsis, overtaking the sweating carthorses labouring up the city’s steep hills and the donkeys piled so high with sacks that their height is doubled.
We have a choice of many roads, all with secrets. One leads to the university, sitting within its brilliant white walls and looking down at the city, but I will not take you there. It is not for the likes of me. I will not get past its gates - as a woman I can only enter as a servant. So if the men in the party wish to visit they must find an official guide. Make sure you dress as men of money and leisure. A working man has as little chance of entering as I.
But why would you wish to go there, when there is so much to see in Pharsis? Even I haven’t seen it all yet. Pharsis is not so much an anthill as a multitude of anthills, each with its queen, workers and drones. We keep to our own, seldom venturing into the other nests, following well worn tracks. But for you I will do my best and show you what I can. There are areas which you will not wish to visit, unless you are the type of tourist who likes to gape at the poor, in which case get yourself another guide.
[image error]
Who is Zoe Brooks? [image error] Zoe Brooks is a British writer and poet, who spends half her life in a partly restored old farmhouse in the Czech Republic, where she writes all her novels and poetry. She aims to write popular books, which have complex characters and themes that get under the reader's skin.Your tour guide is Judith the central character and narrator of the books in The Healer's Shadow trilogy. The second book in the trilogy Love of Shadows is published on Amazon as well.
Zoe's books can be found on http://www.amazon.com/Zoe-Brooks/e/B0034P3TDS/& http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoe-Brooks/e/B0034P3TDS/
Social Media LinksBlog: http://zoebrooks.blogspot.comTwitter http://twitter.com/ZoeBrooks2Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZoeBrooksAuthorGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5772880
Do you want to win a copy of Zoe's Book? Just leave her a comment below. The winner will be announced on December 23rd.
LID: An Englishman Births the #Christmas Card Tradition
[image error]
DIY dewienski christmas cards 2010
By: amy.gizienski @http://www.flickr.com/photos/agiziens...
December 8
Christmas Card Day
It's that time of year again. With Christmas just three weeks away its the perfect time to write your Christmas cards and mail them off. According to the Greeting Card Association, more than 2 billion boxed Christmas Cards were sold in 2010. While that number is high, the sale of Christmas cards is declining. Why? Today its easier and less costly to send a free ecard than mail Christmas cards.
Sir Henry Cole
Christmas Card Day isn't so much a day to remind us to send out our Christmas cards than it is to honor the man who created this international tradition. It all began in England with Sir Henry Cole.
[image error] Sir Henry Cole
@http://www.myjacobfamily.com/faversha... Henry Cole was born in Bath, England on July 15, 1808. He was the son of British Army Captain Henry Robert Cole (1780-1863) and Leticia Downer (1792-1867/8). On December 28, 1833 Henry married Marian Fairman Bond, a daughter of William Andrew Bond. They had nine children.
1 Downer Peacock, born in 1837, and who died young.
2 Letitia Marian, born in 1838, and who died unmarried.
3 Henrietta Lindsey, who died unmarried.
4 Mary Charlotte, born in 1841and who married George C J Bartley. They had at least 5 children.
5 Henry Hardy, born in 1843, died in 1916. He married Beatrice Trulock. After her death, he married Kate Cooper. He had children by both marriages.
6 Alan Summerley, born in 1846, died in 1934. He married Maggie Clark and had at least three daughters.
7 Isabella Langdale, born in 1850, and who married Frank Rede Fowke and had at least four children.
8 Rose Owen, born in 1852, and who died unmarried.
9 Charles Buller, born in 1851, died in 1901
Civil Servant and Innovator
When Henry was fifteen years old he moved to London looking for employment. His first job was in 1823 working as a clerk for the public records historian in the Public Records Office, where he was instrumental in reforming the Records Commission. He became the Assistant Keeper in 1838. From 1837 to 1840, he worked as an assistant to Rowland Hill and played an important role in developing the Penny Post. Henry is also credited as having designed the world's first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black.
Artist and Author
After Henry arrived in London, he studied watercolors under David Cox and David Wiley. Later on in his life he would study engraving and life etching that would be dispalyed in 1866 at the Roal Academy. Cole was a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. He lobbied for the government to improve upon industrial designs and got the attention of Prince Albert. Prince Albert adopted the organization as one of his patronages. In 1847, a charter was signed making the organization Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. As one of Prince Albert's chief advisors, Henry created a competition that resulted in the Summerly's Tea Service that he designed and was manufactured by Minton's pottery works. Henry had given much thought into his design. He had once said it “had as much beauty and ornament as is consistent with cheapness.” The tea service did well in the market. Later that year, Henry founded Summerly’s Art Manufactures. Summerly’s Art Manufactures was a place where painters and sculptures could create designs for industries. He also founded in 1849 ,with the painted Richard Redgrave, the The Journal of Design and Manufactures. The journal promoted the arts with the promotion, “the germs of a style which England of the nineteenth century may call its own.”
Henry was not only a gifted artist but a talented writer as well. He wrote and published many pamphlets. Under the pseudonym Felix Summerly, he wrote many children's books including A book of stories from The home treasury; A hand-book for the architecture, sculpture, tombs, and decorations of Westminster Abbey (1859); An Alphabet of Quadrupeds (1844); and The most delectable history of Reynard the Fox (illustrated with twenty-four coloured pictures by Aldert van Everdingen) (1846).
[image error] Queen Victoria opens the Great Exposition
In 1848, Henry proposed to Prince Albert that there should be a Great Exposition of All Nations where artists from all over the world could gather and share their ideas. Prince Albert liked the idea and asked Henry to organize it. The Great Exposition opened on May 1, 1851 and lasted until October 15th. Six million people attended the fair. The success of the exposition led to better design school in England. Henry was asked to reorganize all of England's Schools of Design. He was appointed as the head of the Science and Art Department, a job that lasted 21 years.
At the end of the fair Parliment authorized Henry £5,000 to procure the most striking of selections. After he bought the objects, he founded the South Kensington Museum to display them as a pernament collection along with the best drawings from art schools around the world. In 1899, the museum was renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum. Cole was the museum director from 1857 to 1873. He retired from public service but never slowed down. Within two years of his retirement he also founded the National Training School for Music and the National Training School for Cookery. Queen Victoria personally recommended him for knighhood. In 1875, he was received into the Order of the Bath as Knight Commander.
By the end of 1881, he had started to write his memoirs with the help of his daugther and had begun to suffer from a heart condition. His physcians had advised he live a quiet life instead of maintaining his busy scedule. He refused. In April of 1882, Henry had overexereted himseld and was ill for a week. The following Sunday April, 16, 1882 he felt well and the next day he sat for a portriat being painted by the famous painter Whistler. That night his illness began to worsen. His physcians determined he had affection of the heart being complicated by congestion of the lungs caused by exposure from the week before. His heart condition was not considered critical. The following day, Sir Henry Cole's heart stop without warning. He died at the age of seventy-three. The April 20, 1882, Times wrote: the country has lost a man whose name will occupy a prominent place in the history of art and industry and letters during the present reign. Wherever the influence of South Kensington has penetrated, wherever the movement has been felt which, during the present generation, has brought the attractions and influences of art to bear on the life and industry of the country, the name of Henry Cole will long be remembered and held in honour."
[image error] The First Christmas Card
Hallmark Archives
Sir Henry Cole and the Christmas Card
The Christmas custom of Sir Henry Cole's time was to handwrite letters to your loved ones. With a life as busy as his this was a hard thing for Henry to do. In 1843, Henry came up with a solution to his Christmas time problem. He hired artist John Calcott Horsley to create a Christmas card he could use instead of writing personal letters. The card was a triptych with a scenes on each side depicting feeding the poor and clothing the hungry. In the center was a colorful portrait of a family celebrating with wine. Underneath the family were the words "Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to You." Horsley made 1,000 cards only 18 of which are known to have survive to this day. The cards measured 5 1/8 inches by 3 and 1/4 inches, each were hand colored by Horsley. Henry never mailed off all of the cards. Instead he sold the extras in his Felix Summerly art shop on Bond Street in London for six cents each. At first the English didn't take well to the idea of Christmas cards. Some Puritans were outraged at the depiction of the merriment display for the holiday. They openly voiced their opinions against it. By 1860, the objections had vanished and custom of sending Christmas cards had found its pernament place among British Christmas traditions. Today, due to their rarity the cards are considered to be quite expensive. In December of 2008, on of the surviving cards was auctioned off in England for £8,500 which is over $13,000.
By: amy.gizienski @http://www.flickr.com/photos/agiziens...
December 8
Christmas Card Day
It's that time of year again. With Christmas just three weeks away its the perfect time to write your Christmas cards and mail them off. According to the Greeting Card Association, more than 2 billion boxed Christmas Cards were sold in 2010. While that number is high, the sale of Christmas cards is declining. Why? Today its easier and less costly to send a free ecard than mail Christmas cards.
Sir Henry Cole
Christmas Card Day isn't so much a day to remind us to send out our Christmas cards than it is to honor the man who created this international tradition. It all began in England with Sir Henry Cole.
[image error] Sir Henry Cole
@http://www.myjacobfamily.com/faversha... Henry Cole was born in Bath, England on July 15, 1808. He was the son of British Army Captain Henry Robert Cole (1780-1863) and Leticia Downer (1792-1867/8). On December 28, 1833 Henry married Marian Fairman Bond, a daughter of William Andrew Bond. They had nine children.
1 Downer Peacock, born in 1837, and who died young.
2 Letitia Marian, born in 1838, and who died unmarried.
3 Henrietta Lindsey, who died unmarried.
4 Mary Charlotte, born in 1841and who married George C J Bartley. They had at least 5 children.
5 Henry Hardy, born in 1843, died in 1916. He married Beatrice Trulock. After her death, he married Kate Cooper. He had children by both marriages.
6 Alan Summerley, born in 1846, died in 1934. He married Maggie Clark and had at least three daughters.
7 Isabella Langdale, born in 1850, and who married Frank Rede Fowke and had at least four children.
8 Rose Owen, born in 1852, and who died unmarried.
9 Charles Buller, born in 1851, died in 1901
Civil Servant and Innovator
When Henry was fifteen years old he moved to London looking for employment. His first job was in 1823 working as a clerk for the public records historian in the Public Records Office, where he was instrumental in reforming the Records Commission. He became the Assistant Keeper in 1838. From 1837 to 1840, he worked as an assistant to Rowland Hill and played an important role in developing the Penny Post. Henry is also credited as having designed the world's first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black.
Artist and Author
After Henry arrived in London, he studied watercolors under David Cox and David Wiley. Later on in his life he would study engraving and life etching that would be dispalyed in 1866 at the Roal Academy. Cole was a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. He lobbied for the government to improve upon industrial designs and got the attention of Prince Albert. Prince Albert adopted the organization as one of his patronages. In 1847, a charter was signed making the organization Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. As one of Prince Albert's chief advisors, Henry created a competition that resulted in the Summerly's Tea Service that he designed and was manufactured by Minton's pottery works. Henry had given much thought into his design. He had once said it “had as much beauty and ornament as is consistent with cheapness.” The tea service did well in the market. Later that year, Henry founded Summerly’s Art Manufactures. Summerly’s Art Manufactures was a place where painters and sculptures could create designs for industries. He also founded in 1849 ,with the painted Richard Redgrave, the The Journal of Design and Manufactures. The journal promoted the arts with the promotion, “the germs of a style which England of the nineteenth century may call its own.”
Henry was not only a gifted artist but a talented writer as well. He wrote and published many pamphlets. Under the pseudonym Felix Summerly, he wrote many children's books including A book of stories from The home treasury; A hand-book for the architecture, sculpture, tombs, and decorations of Westminster Abbey (1859); An Alphabet of Quadrupeds (1844); and The most delectable history of Reynard the Fox (illustrated with twenty-four coloured pictures by Aldert van Everdingen) (1846).
[image error] Queen Victoria opens the Great Exposition
In 1848, Henry proposed to Prince Albert that there should be a Great Exposition of All Nations where artists from all over the world could gather and share their ideas. Prince Albert liked the idea and asked Henry to organize it. The Great Exposition opened on May 1, 1851 and lasted until October 15th. Six million people attended the fair. The success of the exposition led to better design school in England. Henry was asked to reorganize all of England's Schools of Design. He was appointed as the head of the Science and Art Department, a job that lasted 21 years.
At the end of the fair Parliment authorized Henry £5,000 to procure the most striking of selections. After he bought the objects, he founded the South Kensington Museum to display them as a pernament collection along with the best drawings from art schools around the world. In 1899, the museum was renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum. Cole was the museum director from 1857 to 1873. He retired from public service but never slowed down. Within two years of his retirement he also founded the National Training School for Music and the National Training School for Cookery. Queen Victoria personally recommended him for knighhood. In 1875, he was received into the Order of the Bath as Knight Commander.
By the end of 1881, he had started to write his memoirs with the help of his daugther and had begun to suffer from a heart condition. His physcians had advised he live a quiet life instead of maintaining his busy scedule. He refused. In April of 1882, Henry had overexereted himseld and was ill for a week. The following Sunday April, 16, 1882 he felt well and the next day he sat for a portriat being painted by the famous painter Whistler. That night his illness began to worsen. His physcians determined he had affection of the heart being complicated by congestion of the lungs caused by exposure from the week before. His heart condition was not considered critical. The following day, Sir Henry Cole's heart stop without warning. He died at the age of seventy-three. The April 20, 1882, Times wrote: the country has lost a man whose name will occupy a prominent place in the history of art and industry and letters during the present reign. Wherever the influence of South Kensington has penetrated, wherever the movement has been felt which, during the present generation, has brought the attractions and influences of art to bear on the life and industry of the country, the name of Henry Cole will long be remembered and held in honour."
[image error] The First Christmas Card
Hallmark Archives
Sir Henry Cole and the Christmas Card
The Christmas custom of Sir Henry Cole's time was to handwrite letters to your loved ones. With a life as busy as his this was a hard thing for Henry to do. In 1843, Henry came up with a solution to his Christmas time problem. He hired artist John Calcott Horsley to create a Christmas card he could use instead of writing personal letters. The card was a triptych with a scenes on each side depicting feeding the poor and clothing the hungry. In the center was a colorful portrait of a family celebrating with wine. Underneath the family were the words "Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to You." Horsley made 1,000 cards only 18 of which are known to have survive to this day. The cards measured 5 1/8 inches by 3 and 1/4 inches, each were hand colored by Horsley. Henry never mailed off all of the cards. Instead he sold the extras in his Felix Summerly art shop on Bond Street in London for six cents each. At first the English didn't take well to the idea of Christmas cards. Some Puritans were outraged at the depiction of the merriment display for the holiday. They openly voiced their opinions against it. By 1860, the objections had vanished and custom of sending Christmas cards had found its pernament place among British Christmas traditions. Today, due to their rarity the cards are considered to be quite expensive. In December of 2008, on of the surviving cards was auctioned off in England for £8,500 which is over $13,000.
December 8, 2012
CWA: Mystic Adventures in Strugland
Mountains surround you as the cruise ship lowers into a canyon close to large castle. You have no idead where you are but one thing you do know for certain. You are no longer a cartoon nor are you flying with dragons. What an adventure you had yesterday. Not just one stop but two. Your cartoon self had disappeared to reveal your natural form just as the ship had mysteriously gone back in time to medieval Scotland. It was fun!
You wonder where you are today. What time and place did you find yourself in? Tasha and Dalton wouldn't give anyone information as to where the ship had travelled to last night. Come to think of it they were looking a bit worried. You had asked them about it this morning at breakfast but all Dalton could tell you was that he and Tasha were having a lover's quarrel that had begun yesterday. You tossed your concerns aside. They would make it up somehow. You were certain of that.
[image error]
Hello, I’m Edward, king of Struglend. Wait, hang on…
“Fred, didn’t there use to be a wall here?”“Uh… no idea, sorry.”“Strange, I distinctly remember there being four walls here…”
Well, never mind about that. That fellow there who’s holding the sledgehammer behind his back is Fred, my trusty herald. He’s been a huge support since I’ve unexpectedly become king of Struglend. But I understand you’re here to be shown around my land. Well then…Plonk.
Sorry, I just had to do that. As you can see by my appearance, I am a jackdaw. As you can see by the skilful way in which I threw that small pebble onto the king’s head, I am a jackdaw with excellent aiming. My name is Horatio Boniface the Third, and I am going to show you some of the more interesting places in this world, because Struglend definitely isn’t one of them. I wouldn’t want to be found dead there, and I bet even dead people wouldn’t want to be found dead there. Or alive, for that matter. And before you ask, yes, that happens occasionally.
But let me take you to one of those interesting places I mentioned: the Isle of Mandolin. As you can see from up here, it is shaped like a clarinet, hence the name.
If we just swoop down like this, we come across one of the most remarkable sites of the island. That rundown building there is the asylum. Some say it’s haunted by the ghost of a doctor who went mad, but I’m not sure. It’s probably superstition, the people here are like that.
If we continue on, we arrive at New Mapstain, the island’s biggest town. It’s not much to look at, and actually, it isn’t much, so we’ll skip it and continue to that portico there, which is a portal to the world where it’s really at… the land of the gods. What… what happened? Ow… my head. Anyway, as I was saying, this is Struglend, undoubtedly the most beautiful country in the world. Or perhaps it’s not, but at least it has some interesting locales, like Death’s castle. A really nice fellow, that, Death. I think you’ll like him too.
If you’re more interested in religion though, you’ll need to visit Father Camilo’s chapel. And if after that you have an irresistible urge to flee the country, although I couldn’t imagine why, you can take a boat out of the harbour across the Sea of Ice, to end up on the Isle of Mandolin.
But I can’t see myself ever leaving my kingdom. Well, unless it was invaded by an evil knight in black armour or something, but what are the odds of something silly like that happening?
[image error]
Who is Jan Jacob Mekes? [image error] Jan Jacob Mekes was born in 1982 in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. He spent most of his life so far thinking writing wasn't really a career, but after going to university to study history, he found out that writing is the one thing he loves doing most, and he's pretty good at it too. He just loves sharing the stories that pop up into his head, seemingly out of nowhere, especially the ones that are funny.
Website: http://bouffonbooks.com/Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00756I41ESmashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/129173
Jan will be giving away three copies of his book in a contest. Just leave him a comment below to be entered. The winner will be announced on December 15, 2012.
LID: #History of the Brownie w/ Recipes
[image error]
brownies...yawn...boooring by jeffreyw
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreyw...
December 8
National Brownie Day
Who can resist those yummy morsel filled chocolate brownies? Hmm, it makes me hungry just looking at the picture above. Brownies are a small cakes with a rich taste that are often made of chocolate. They can be served as dessert, for breakfast or as an afternoon treat. There are four types of brownies; Fudgelike, Cakelike, Chewy and Blondies.
History of the Brownie There are several stories surrounding the story of how the brownie came into existence. The earliest story claims a chef in Boston was making biscuits and mistakenly added chocolate. Another story claims he didn't have enough baking soda to make a cake so out come the brownie instead.
The Palmer House Brownie was one of the earliest known brownie creations. During the 1893 Colombian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, Mrs. Bertha Palmer asked her chef to create a ladie's dessert that was "easier to eat than a piece of pie, and a smaller serving than a slice of layer cake." She had wanted it to fit into the lunch boxes she and her friends would be using while visiting the fair. The chief created a brownie with an apricot glaze that is still being served at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. It is one of their most popular desserts. You can see the recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/THE-PALMER-HOUSE-BROWNIE-50027879
The first brownie recipe ever to be published was in the 1896 by Fannie Merritt Farmer in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook. It was unique in that it called for molasses and not chocolate. Some people argue that this is not a true brownie because it does not contain chocolate. Here is that recipe:
1896
Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1896), page 424
Boston, Massachusetts
Brownies
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup Porto Rico molasses
1 egg, well beaten
7/8 cup flour
1 cup pecan meats cut in pieces
Bake in small, shallow fancy cake tins, garnishing top of each cake with one-half pecan
To view other recipes from the 1896 Boston Cooking School Cookbook click on this link http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/coldfusion/display.cfm?ID=bost&PageNum=455The Historical American Cookbook Project has made the entire cookbook available.
[image error]
In 1897, Sears Roebuck and Company published a brownie recipe in their catalogue. It was more of a cookie than a cake. Here is that recipe.
Brownies1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter cut into pieces6 large eggs 2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter (or spray with a nonstick cooking spray) a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan. Melt the chocolate and butter in the top half of a double boiler over simmering water. Set aside. (Can also use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.)Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk (can use a hand mixer) together the eggs and sugar. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla extract.Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then fold into the chocolate and sugar mixture until well combined.Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. These freeze very well. Makes 16 large brownies.
In 1904, Home Cooking, released this brownie recipe, which is one of the first brownie recipes to be published with chocolate. http://feasteveryday.blogspot.com/2011/05/oldest-brownie-recipe-by-raquel-and.html
[image error] Mildred Brown Schrumpf
http://www.ebparks.org/Assets/files/B... Bangor Brownie first made its appearance in the 1907 Lowney’s Cook Book Illustrated and written by Maria Willet Howard. It was published by the Walter M. Lowney Company of Boston. The origin of this type of brownie states that Mildred Brown Schrumpf, a housewife in Bangor, Maine had been baking a chocolate cake when she forgot to add the leavening agent to her cake thus the cake failed to rise. Instead of throwing the cake out she cut into squares and served it. The brownie was born. The recipe became popular and is still know to this day as a Bangor Brownie. Here is that recipe.
[image error] While brownie recipes had been published throughout the early 20th century it wouldn't be until the 1920s when they would rise in popularity. Mass production had made chocolate and cocoa more affordable and available to the general public which allowed for the chocolate brownie growth in popularity.
Blondies Before the chocolate brownie there was the blondie. Blondies are made like brownies except that they are made with butterscotch instead of chocolate. They weren't called blondies but had been called by a wide variety of names. Butterscotch is made by combining brown sugar/molasses and butter. During the19th century, cookbooks had recipes with the ingredients of traditional butterscotch combined with flour and baking soda/powder. Once baked it created a small cake much like our brownies today.
Here is a link to an old fashion cookbook. You can try these 19th century recipes. http://www.wvagriculture.org/images/Literature/Old-Fashioned_Cookbook.pdf
The 19th century may have given rise to our traditional blondie but their recipes are descended from the gingerbread cakes of the Renaissance. [image error] 15th century Gingerbread recipe found at http://www.godecookery.com/ginger/gin...
Now that you know a little about the history of brownies why don't you try making one of these earlier recipes. Which one looks delicious to you?
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreyw...
December 8
National Brownie Day
Who can resist those yummy morsel filled chocolate brownies? Hmm, it makes me hungry just looking at the picture above. Brownies are a small cakes with a rich taste that are often made of chocolate. They can be served as dessert, for breakfast or as an afternoon treat. There are four types of brownies; Fudgelike, Cakelike, Chewy and Blondies.
History of the Brownie There are several stories surrounding the story of how the brownie came into existence. The earliest story claims a chef in Boston was making biscuits and mistakenly added chocolate. Another story claims he didn't have enough baking soda to make a cake so out come the brownie instead.
The Palmer House Brownie was one of the earliest known brownie creations. During the 1893 Colombian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, Mrs. Bertha Palmer asked her chef to create a ladie's dessert that was "easier to eat than a piece of pie, and a smaller serving than a slice of layer cake." She had wanted it to fit into the lunch boxes she and her friends would be using while visiting the fair. The chief created a brownie with an apricot glaze that is still being served at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. It is one of their most popular desserts. You can see the recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/THE-PALMER-HOUSE-BROWNIE-50027879
The first brownie recipe ever to be published was in the 1896 by Fannie Merritt Farmer in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook. It was unique in that it called for molasses and not chocolate. Some people argue that this is not a true brownie because it does not contain chocolate. Here is that recipe:
1896
Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1896), page 424
Boston, Massachusetts
Brownies
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup Porto Rico molasses
1 egg, well beaten
7/8 cup flour
1 cup pecan meats cut in pieces
Bake in small, shallow fancy cake tins, garnishing top of each cake with one-half pecan
To view other recipes from the 1896 Boston Cooking School Cookbook click on this link http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/coldfusion/display.cfm?ID=bost&PageNum=455The Historical American Cookbook Project has made the entire cookbook available.
[image error]
In 1897, Sears Roebuck and Company published a brownie recipe in their catalogue. It was more of a cookie than a cake. Here is that recipe.
Brownies1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter cut into pieces6 large eggs 2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter (or spray with a nonstick cooking spray) a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan. Melt the chocolate and butter in the top half of a double boiler over simmering water. Set aside. (Can also use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.)Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk (can use a hand mixer) together the eggs and sugar. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla extract.Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then fold into the chocolate and sugar mixture until well combined.Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. These freeze very well. Makes 16 large brownies.
In 1904, Home Cooking, released this brownie recipe, which is one of the first brownie recipes to be published with chocolate. http://feasteveryday.blogspot.com/2011/05/oldest-brownie-recipe-by-raquel-and.html
[image error] Mildred Brown Schrumpf
http://www.ebparks.org/Assets/files/B... Bangor Brownie first made its appearance in the 1907 Lowney’s Cook Book Illustrated and written by Maria Willet Howard. It was published by the Walter M. Lowney Company of Boston. The origin of this type of brownie states that Mildred Brown Schrumpf, a housewife in Bangor, Maine had been baking a chocolate cake when she forgot to add the leavening agent to her cake thus the cake failed to rise. Instead of throwing the cake out she cut into squares and served it. The brownie was born. The recipe became popular and is still know to this day as a Bangor Brownie. Here is that recipe.
[image error] While brownie recipes had been published throughout the early 20th century it wouldn't be until the 1920s when they would rise in popularity. Mass production had made chocolate and cocoa more affordable and available to the general public which allowed for the chocolate brownie growth in popularity.
Blondies Before the chocolate brownie there was the blondie. Blondies are made like brownies except that they are made with butterscotch instead of chocolate. They weren't called blondies but had been called by a wide variety of names. Butterscotch is made by combining brown sugar/molasses and butter. During the19th century, cookbooks had recipes with the ingredients of traditional butterscotch combined with flour and baking soda/powder. Once baked it created a small cake much like our brownies today.
Here is a link to an old fashion cookbook. You can try these 19th century recipes. http://www.wvagriculture.org/images/Literature/Old-Fashioned_Cookbook.pdf
The 19th century may have given rise to our traditional blondie but their recipes are descended from the gingerbread cakes of the Renaissance. [image error] 15th century Gingerbread recipe found at http://www.godecookery.com/ginger/gin...
Now that you know a little about the history of brownies why don't you try making one of these earlier recipes. Which one looks delicious to you?
December 7, 2012
CWA: #Dragons and Medieval Scotland.
The ship’s horn blasts in the morning fog, waking bleary eyed passengers. The fog is dense, nearly impossible to traverse.
A crackling comes across the loudspeaker just before Tasha begins. “ Good morning folks. Sorry about the horns. We are within ten miles of our next stop Alba, in medieval times. There may be a bit of jarring during passage through the time portal, we ask that everyone stay inside their cabins until we have made port. The stewards will be making rounds this morning. Breakfast will be delivered to you; no meal will be served in our dining hall. It is imperative that you remain within your quarters until further notice. Thank you.”
Tasha hung up the intercom, and turned to her navigator. “Will we manage the portal in this soup?”
“Aye, we should be seeing the lighthouse at Gryphon’s Point soon.” Dalton stood at the ship’s wheel eyes straining through the thick fog. “According to the charts, this bay is a fjord, so we don’t have to worry about bottoming out on rocks. If I’ve got the right bay.” A strained frown creased his forehead, as he referenced his charts against the GPS readout.
Tasha turned, only slightly worried. They’d only taken the ship through the time portal a few times, and managed without incidence so far. This time was different though, setting a target for medieval Scotland. She examined the charts Dalton had laid out and watched the GPS display. They had to get this just right.
“Engines on half, slow to 4 knots. Starboard 6 degrees.”
Dalton carefully throttled back, turning the wheel precisely. The reverse of the engines caused the huge ship to lurch forward.
Tasha had hoped it would be smoother, she supposed an announcement was in order. She cleared her throat, taking the intercom. “We are nearing our port now, everyone remain calm and in your cabins. There may be some jarring motions as we ease into the bay. Bo’som report to navigation room.”
Dalton’s furrowed brow seemed deeper. He watched the coordinate readout, adjusting and reversing throttle until he was precisely on the exact coordinates, down to one thousandth of a degree. He glanced at Tasha. She nodded. He flipped the protective plexi-glass cover over the warp button. With a sharp intake of breath Dalton pressed it.
A ripple of compressed air seemed to pass over the ship accompanied by a wave of nausea. Tasha grabbed the edge of the table, steadying herself. Davis, the bo’som rounded the corner and lurched for the trash can vomiting.
Instantly the fog was cleared, the early morning dawn was hazy but the waters were calm. Dalton exhaled as he spotted the torches on the end of the pier dead ahead. “Aye, we’ve made it Cap’n.”
Slowly they glided over the calm waters right up the long pier that jutted out from what at a distance appeared to be a cliff face with a castle atop it. As they approached it was evident though that an entrance into the cave, and in fact parts of the castle were built into the cliff face leading up to the top level. It encompassed nearly 500 feet of vertical space to the top of the cliffs.
“Feel free to move about the ship. Our tour will begin in one hour.”
Tasha sighed, and patted Dalton’s arm. “That one had me a worried. I only hope the trip back is as uneventful.” As she left for her quarters with Davis, she handed him the itinerary and instructed him to make all arrangements.
“Yes ma’am.” Davis nodded in a half bow then hurried to the deck to make connections with the dragon lord. His biggest fear was dragons. When he accepted this job, he hadn’t planned on facing dragons. Ever since the last tour stop, he’d been ill just thinking of it. Were they real dragons? Were they just called dragon lords because of some accomplishment in martial arts or something? The gnawing at the pit of his stomach had only increased in the past twelve hours. He lowered the gang planks to the dock, where three enormous men, nearly giants to his 5’ 7” stature, waited with their arms crossed.
[image error] Burg Hohenwerfen, Salzburg by Harikrishnan Tulsidas
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/smsys/51..., welcome to Alba.” Zane extended his hand, lurking at the man’s mind. “Ye’ve nothin’ to fear amongst us dragons lad. Unless ye be from Eric’s ilk that is.” The three men chuckled speaking in some strange language to each other. “I am Laird Zane, Zanathrose Fallon. This is my brother Bran, and Merryk , Captain of the guard. I’ll leave ya to their capable hands. When your tour begins I’ll be waiting in the grand hall for the feast. I’ve business to attend with the other dragon septs.”
He bowed his head nodding, laid his hand on Merryk’s shoulder and spoke in dragon before turning and striding off through the cave entrance. “Make our guests feel welcomed.”
Davis worked with the two large men that towered over him in reviewing the itinerary, and making last minute changes. Sooner than he counted on the horn from the ship sounded, signaling departure for the tour to begin.
The group made their way down the pier to the landing at the base of the cliff just before the cave entrance. When everyone had been accounted for, Tasha made the announcements, introducing her tour guides. “Welcome to Alba, home of the green dragon sept, 1648.”
Gasps and murmur spread through the group. They’d seen so many startling things on this cruise of a lifetime, now to have traveled back in time. After everything else, it didn’t seem so fantastical!
“You’ve been to this land before, just not this particular spot or time. We are in what in modern times is known as Scotland. Farther north than Glasgow, closer to Iona. Our tour guides today are Merryk , the captain of the guard and Bran Fallon, brother to the Laird of the green Dragon sept.”
She handed off the loudspeaker to Bran. He looked at the strange thing then cleared his voice. By adding layering to his voice in dragon he was able to speak louder than if he’d used the megaphone. “Welcome to our land. Our first stop will be the castle proper. We can manage about twenty five humans, or two dragons on the lift at a time. Are there any dragons amongst you?”
Everyone turned looking at each other laughing, when a couple stepped forward. “We are of the blue sept.”
“Aye, welcome. What form do you wish to take? “ Bran looked between the two. “Ye’re always welcome to fly up and avoid the lift. I hate it myself.”
The woman looked about sheepishly. “I don’t like the caves, or small spaces, but where can we shift?”
Bran motioned to a large flat area that was used for landing. It was around the bend of stone. “There’s a little nook just on the other side, you may step there for privacy to change.”
The couple nodded and walked quickly around the corner. A sudden whoosh sounded as the woman’s wings unfurled along with a sigh of relief. Her mate wasn’t far behind her. In an instant they shot upward, circling over the group to the top of the cliff and landed. Meanwhile groups of twenty rode the lift, which was pulled up by two green dragon adolescents in dragon form. Just like in the bird kingdom, the males were magnificently colored. Once at the top it was a short distance to the doors that led out into the lists. It took ten trips to get everyone loaded and off loaded.
“Alright. You see the castle proper to my left. When we return here, you will be taken on a tour of the castle in smaller groups before convening in the great hall for our feast.”
The large group of about 150 people moved to the first stop, the lists where the men trained with swords. They skirted the edge of the field to the main gate at the front . As they approached a man within the tower raised the portico bars to allow them passage. Once through, the bars came down quickly.
They covered the lands, the nearby village, they traveled by wagons over the dusty roads to a grove and standing stones where they stopped. “This is where the entrance to the caves where the elder dragons go. Dragons who have lost their mates, and dragons who have passed are carried to the caves. It is forbidden for humans to enter, but the elders have agreed to sing the song of enchantment for our group. Merryk blew a long ram’s horn in several short bursts and one long low wailing sound that sent shivers up their spines. Within seconds the sound rose from below, an eerie trumpeting, combined with chanting. Five dragons rose, just over the edge of the cliff and circled out over the sea. AS they circled they sang their song.
It was the song of making, the song of creation, and the song of death and loss. It was eerie yet stimulating. The sound carried through the air, many of the tourists brought to tears even though they didn’t understand why. It only lasted a couple of minutes before their song ended and the dragons returned to the cave below.
“We’ve recently lost our elder dragon Ximon, we are still mourning his loss. You may have noted the extra sentiment in their song.”
The crowd loaded back onto the wagons in near silence.
The tour of the land covered the entire regions, to the edge of the cliffs, to the highlands dotted with sheep. The wagons wove their trail back to the castle where small groups were given tours within, and refreshments were served.
“If you’ll excuse me, I will leave you in Merryk’s hands. Shortly we will go to the fields for dragon training.”
Behind the castle, a large field extended for miles. The group was herded to the edge just behind the castle. The dragons were doing aerial maneuvers. A large red dragon barked out orders as smaller blue, green, and red dragons carried out her orders. She was larger than the rest. Soon a large green dragon was beside her.
Merryk cleared his throat, then spoke to the two larger dragons in their native language. “I’ve instructed them to demonstrate our latest maneuvers that were taught by Bran’s mate there, Chiang Lu, empress of the red dragons. Those two green dragons to the right” he pointed to the far end of the field “will stand in for black dragons, followers of Sir Eric, enemy to dragon kind.”
The dragons dove through the field grabbing straw dummies in their hands rolling with them, tucking them close to their chest as the green troops flew, surrounding them on all sides. Chiang Lu motioned, making a high pitched trumpeting sound, as two red dragons descended from a higher place above the clouds to force them down to the ground.
They demonstrated barrel rolls, sharp turns, reversing in mid air, sharp dives, and Chiang Lu and Bran even demonstrated a dragon kiss for them to which the crowd oohed and awed.
“The most vulnerable time for a dragon is the moment of change upon landing. We will not be demonstrating that today however in respect for the children amongst you. We must shed our human clothes before transforming and when changing back, we revert to human forms, nude. Now as that is not a problem for dragons, as most are pretty proud of their forms, it may be a bit embarrassing for you.”
The group retired to the great hall for the feast. Laird Zane was there to officiate the festivities. After the feast there was dancing and much drinking until the alarm sounded. Instant panic ensued. “Aye, I was afraid of that. Tasha, you must get your people on board your vessel . Eric’s troops have been spotted. These are dangerous times we live in here. The servant’s will assist you on the lift.”
Dragon’s rushed out the back of the hall shedding clothes as they fled, dropping them in a heap at the back entrance. Many launching themselves into midair and changing instantly.
The young couple that were blue dragons approached Laird Zane. “Please sir, it would be our greatest honor to serve with the great Lord Zanathrose.” They bowed to him. He glanced back and forth between them seeing their earnest desires.
“I’ve no time to babysit. Aye, ye can but at your own risk.”
They eagerly followed the other dragons into the air. Listening to Bran’s orders for instructions.
Davis stood on the stairs shaking, terrified of the dragons that filled the sky. A small black dragon swooped down grabbing Davis in his talons, bringing him close to his body, tucking under like a bird of prey. Davis’ screams could be heard to the bottom of the cliffs where the passengers loaded hurriedly.
Tasha encouraged them not to panic, reminding them that the medieval times were a dangerous times for humans and dragons. Soon everyone was on board, safely within their cabins except Davis.
Shrieks, blasts of fire, and trumpeting wails filled the skies. Black smoke rose in the background as different buildings burned.
Zane and Bran landed and rushed to the ship. “My apologies to you Ms. Tasha but you must get far from here. Your servant Davis is taken captive by Eric’s men. We will work to get him back and one of our mages will bring him to the future portal. But now you must leave. Hurry, before they follow you through the portal.”
Tasha instructed Dalton, and they were quickly away from the docks to the portal coordinates, pushing the button as a ripple shuddered through the ship causing it to creak and sway. Dalton turned to her.
“That was a little too close. We can’t risk our passengers like this again.”
Tasha sat, pondering what would become of Davis. “Agreed. They were magnificent, but agreed.” She turned the pin on her jacket, remembering her first meeting of Sir Collin, steward of the Fallon estates in modern times. “Agreed.” It came out as barely a whisper.
Who is Ellie Mack? [image error] Ellie Mack lives in a small town near St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a BS in geography/cartography. She has worked for Department of Defense, county government, as a substitute teacher, and various other jobs. Her hobbies include reading, bicycling, playing Tombraider, and Dance games such as Dance Dance Revolution, and Zumba. Between being a mother to two teenage girls, a wife, homemaker, and a mortgage loan officer, Ellie writes paranormal romances.
Ellie’s erotica appears on http://storytimetrysts.blogspot.com/Ellie’s blog can be found at: http://quotidiandose.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/passion-2/
LID: Yummy #CottonCandy Day!
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Mmm...the annual cotton candy festival by comp rock
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/comprock...
December 7
National Cotton Candy Day
I can certainly enjoy this holiday! Cotton Candy has been around since the 16th century. The only ingredient in cotton candy is sugar. It is created by melting sugar then pushing those stands through small holes onto a cone. In the 16th century, sugar was expensive and the making of cotton candy had to be done by hand. Spinning sugar was labor intensive. It was known as Fairy Floss and was not available to the average person. Cotton Candy contains 105 calories and no fat.
Cotton Candy History
The machine spun cotton candy we have all grown to come to enjoy was invented by four men: Thomas Patton, Josef Delarose Lascaux, John C. Wharton, and William Morrison.
William Morrison was a dentist from Nashville, Tennessee who constructed with John C. Wharton the very first cotton candy machine in 1897. The cotton candy machine melted sugar using centrifugal force to spin the sugar and release the sugar into tiny holes before releasing it. Two years later they were granted a patent for their machine and in 1900 they received another patent to make cotton candy. The candy makers took their machine to the Saint Louis World's Fair in 1904. It was one of the first times cotton candy was sold to a large audience. Morrison and Wharton sold a box of cotton candy for 25cents, half the cost for admission to the fair. They called their cotton candy Fairy Floss. The fair goers loved it. It was relatively inexpensive for an enjoyable treat. Morrison and Wharton sold approximately 68,655 boxes of cotton candy for a total of $17,163.75.
Thomas Patton had been experimenting with separating caramelized sugar with a fork. He came up with a machine that used a gas fired rotating plate to spin the sugar until it formed into threads. The threads were then collected into a big cotton ball. He received a patent for his machine and another patent for making cotton candy in 1900. Patton then presented his machine to the Ringling Brothers' Circus. The circus tried it and found that it was a huge hit with the children. They bought the machine and have been selling cotton candy ever since.
Around the same time a dentist from New Orleans, Louisiana named Josef Delarose Lascaux had also been experimenting with cotton candy. In 1921 he created a cotton candy machine and sold the fluffy stuff to his patients in his office. He patented the name Cotton Candy but never received a patent for making it nor did he patent his machine. The terms Fairy Floss eventually faded away and the sweet. fluffy candy became known as Cotton Candy.
The portable cotton candy machines made cotton candy to become a huge hit at fairs, circuses, carnivals and ball parks. The machines operated with a pan at the base and a rotating heating core int eh middle. Cotton Candy machine operators could only create one serving at a time thus making their sales only on a small scale. That all changed in 1972 with the invention of the automatic Cotton Candy machine. The new Cotton Candy machine lead to the mass marketing of Cotton Candy.
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/comprock...
December 7
National Cotton Candy Day
I can certainly enjoy this holiday! Cotton Candy has been around since the 16th century. The only ingredient in cotton candy is sugar. It is created by melting sugar then pushing those stands through small holes onto a cone. In the 16th century, sugar was expensive and the making of cotton candy had to be done by hand. Spinning sugar was labor intensive. It was known as Fairy Floss and was not available to the average person. Cotton Candy contains 105 calories and no fat.
Cotton Candy History
The machine spun cotton candy we have all grown to come to enjoy was invented by four men: Thomas Patton, Josef Delarose Lascaux, John C. Wharton, and William Morrison.
William Morrison was a dentist from Nashville, Tennessee who constructed with John C. Wharton the very first cotton candy machine in 1897. The cotton candy machine melted sugar using centrifugal force to spin the sugar and release the sugar into tiny holes before releasing it. Two years later they were granted a patent for their machine and in 1900 they received another patent to make cotton candy. The candy makers took their machine to the Saint Louis World's Fair in 1904. It was one of the first times cotton candy was sold to a large audience. Morrison and Wharton sold a box of cotton candy for 25cents, half the cost for admission to the fair. They called their cotton candy Fairy Floss. The fair goers loved it. It was relatively inexpensive for an enjoyable treat. Morrison and Wharton sold approximately 68,655 boxes of cotton candy for a total of $17,163.75.
Thomas Patton had been experimenting with separating caramelized sugar with a fork. He came up with a machine that used a gas fired rotating plate to spin the sugar until it formed into threads. The threads were then collected into a big cotton ball. He received a patent for his machine and another patent for making cotton candy in 1900. Patton then presented his machine to the Ringling Brothers' Circus. The circus tried it and found that it was a huge hit with the children. They bought the machine and have been selling cotton candy ever since.
Around the same time a dentist from New Orleans, Louisiana named Josef Delarose Lascaux had also been experimenting with cotton candy. In 1921 he created a cotton candy machine and sold the fluffy stuff to his patients in his office. He patented the name Cotton Candy but never received a patent for making it nor did he patent his machine. The terms Fairy Floss eventually faded away and the sweet. fluffy candy became known as Cotton Candy.
The portable cotton candy machines made cotton candy to become a huge hit at fairs, circuses, carnivals and ball parks. The machines operated with a pan at the base and a rotating heating core int eh middle. Cotton Candy machine operators could only create one serving at a time thus making their sales only on a small scale. That all changed in 1972 with the invention of the automatic Cotton Candy machine. The new Cotton Candy machine lead to the mass marketing of Cotton Candy.
CWA: Patchy and Calico
Sunlight gently flows down upon the cartoon world as you sit in a circle with Dalton and the rest of cruise participants. Peace surrounds you. You can't believe your eyes. A few days ago you couldn't leave the cruise ship due to the threat of zombies. Snoe Gainey had come on board to tell everyone about her zombie filled world. Afterwards you were awe struck at how a woman her age had continue to survive. She had taken the oil container with the zombie head, left the vessels and your ship had disappeared. You have no idea where the vessel had gone. Only that Tasha and Dalton said they had to make certain there were no remnants of zombies on board. It had taken days for Dalton and Tasha to examine ship and passengers. Once the vessel was declared zombie cleared it jumped through time and space again.
You awoke this morning to find that you had become a cartoon. Everything around you was a cartoon as well. It was a big odd at first to operate in this environment but you were finding it was a great relief from the world you had just come from. You could do things in this cartoon body that you could never do with your own.
"Mama, look," a young girl yells from the edge of your circle.
Conversations begin to cease as they turn their heads in the direction the young girl is pointing. A dog and a cat run side by side, teasing each other as they enter your circle. They sit in the middle of the circle and begin to talk.
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“Hey Calico, we’ve been asked to tell these folks about the world we live in. I don’t know what to say. How about you doing the talking.” “Patchy, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you unwilling to be the center of attention. Why don’t we just tell them about some of the places we have visited lately?” “Okay, that sounds like a great idea, Calico.”
[Patchy pauses for a few minutes to gather his thoughts] “Well first of all, my name is Patchwork Dog and my friend is Calico Cat. We love to go exploring and have adventures and…” “Uh- hum Patchy, tell the truth. You love to go exploring and have adventures. I have to tag along to keep you out of trouble.” “Ah Calico, not all the time. You enjoyed going to the beach, didn’t you?” [The cat smiles] “Oh yes, the beach was great. But who was it that got pinched by a fiddler crab on his big black nose?” [Patchy hangs his head] “That was me, but my nose only hurt for a little while. Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson, not to stick my nose where it does not belong. Let’s talk about something else. How about the time I protected you from a big bad thunderstorm?” “We wouldn’t have been caught outside by the thunderstorm if you had listened to me instead of following the trail of that skunk, Patchy. We got stuck in a garden shed all night with that grouchy skunk because you slammed the door shut. We missed our supper and had to sleep on the yucky, dirty, hard floor. That was one of your adventures I’d rather forget!” “Yea, I guess so but look at the bright side. It could have been worse. That skunk could have sprayed us. Hey, I remember one of our adventures that made you really happy. How about when we got to perform in a circus, now that was a lot of fun!” “Oh Patchy, I loved that. We did all kinds of tricks and the audience loved us. I’d like to do that again next year when the circus comes back to our town. It was wonderful except for the silly clothes we had to wear. What made it even better is that you had to give me all your cheese snacks that evening. Ummm, that was good.” “You tricked me, Calico into giving you all my treats.” “No, I didn’t trick you. You promised to give me all your treats if I went with you while you were checking out the tents in Mr. Johnson’s field. I just had to remind you of your promise.” “You have played some mean tricks on me, Calico. Like when you told me I could fly like a bird.” “That was so funny, Patchy. You ran down the hill so fast that you did get off the ground and fly…a little bit. “Yea, the flying part was fun but the landing wasn’t very nice, it hurt. I really did get to fly one day in Mr. Wilson’s airplane. You didn’t get to go because you were a scaredy cat and hid in the bushes.” “Oh well, that was okay. I would rather keep my four feet on solid ground, I don’t want to fly or [Calico begins to laugh] go out in the lake in a boat. You had a rather interesting boat ride, didn’t you, Patchy?”
“No one wants to hear about my boat ride, Calico. Anyway, that was last summer. It’s wintertime now and I’m getting in the Christmas spirit. How about you Calico?”
“Oh yeah, Patchy, time to help Mommy and Daddy decorate the tree and give presents to all our friends. Who knows kind of mischief you’re going to get into.
" I think it’s time for us to go now. Thank you everybody for taking a look at the world through our eyes. If you want to read some more about us and our grand adventures, take a look at our books, Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat and Patchy and Calico’s Summer Vacation. We have a brand new book called Christmas with Patchy and Calico too. All the books are for kids of all ages, 5 to 99 years old. See ya later…..”
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Amazon US) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9I4XB0
(Amazon UK)http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A9I4XB0
(Smashwords) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/256288
(B&N) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-with-patchy-and-calico-greta-burroughs/1113833000?ean=2940015768336&itm=1&usri=greta+burroughs
Who is Greta Burroughs? [image error] Greta Burroughs loves to read. No matter where she is, there is always a book close at hand. Her love of reading began at an early age and blossomed over time to include many different genres, her favorite now being fantasy. As a preschool and elementary school teacher, Greta tried to instill the joy of reading in the children she worked with. Books were an important part of her classroom and story time was the highlight of the day. It has been a while since Greta was in a classroom but she had lots of experience in reading to children of various ages and remembers what they enjoyed listening to. She tries to incorporate that knowledge into her work as an author and believes it makes her a better writer of children's and young adult books. Greta has six books published at the present time; three in the Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat series, two MG/YA fantasies entitled Gerald and the Wee People,and House on Bo-Kay Lane and a nonfiction account of her experiences with an autoimmune blood disorder called ITP - Heartaches and Miracles. For more information on Greta's books visit http://booksbygretaburroughs.weebly.com
December 6, 2012
LID: Who is the real #SaintNicholas?
Intocht van Sinterklaas in Schiedam 2009 by Sander Van Der Wel
@http://nl.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-...
December 6
Saint Nicholas Day
Jolly Ole Saint Nicholas. In America, we know him as Santa Claus. The heavyset Santa Claus Americans have come to grow and love never existed before Thomas Nast immortalized the image in his depiction of the American Santa Claus in his illustration for the January 3, 1863 Harper's Weekly.
January 3, 1863 cover of Harper's Weekly, one of the first depictions of Santa ClausThe name Santa Claus was first used in the American Press to describe this mystical figure in 1773. Before that he was known as Sinterklauss. In Germany and other European cultures Santa is still known as Sinterklauss. He is known by other names around the world. For information of Santa's other names you can visit this site: No matter what you call him, the legend of Santa Claus would not be in existence had it not been for a Catholic Bishop in the 4th century known as Saint Nicholas.
Who is Saint Nicholas?
Nicholas was born on the Ides of March in 270AD at Patara in the ancient country of Lycian. Today the ancient country of Lycian is located in modern Turkey. Patara was visited by Saint Paul in his third mission trip. You can learn more about Nicholas' hometown here: http://www.lycianturkey.com/lycian_sites/patara.htm.
Mosaic of Nicholas from TurkeyNicholas was a Greek born into a wealthy family. The identity of his parents are a mystery. Some accounts list them as Epiphanius and Johanna while others say his parents were Theophanes and Nonna. Although Nicholas had been born in Patara he was raised in Myra. During Nicholas' lifetime, Myra was a bustling metropolis of ancient Lycian. Located on the Myros River it had a bustling river port. In 60 AD, Saint Paul had changed vessels on his way or trial in Rome after he had been arrested in Jerusalem for inciting a riot. The Roman Emperor Hadrian had visited Myra in 131AD and built a huge granary at Andriance. You can still see the granary today. You can learn more about ancient Myra at: http://www.lycianturkey.com/lycian_si...
Nicholas’ parents died of an epidemic when he was a young man. He received a large inheritance from his parents. As a devout believer, Nicholas decided to follow Jesus command in Matthew 19:21. “Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” Nicholas decided to give his inheritance to the poor, needy, and desperate. In his search for those in need heard about a widower with three daughters who had lost all his money. The man could not afford a dowry for his daughters. A dowry was money, goods and estate that a woman brought to the marriage. Her family would give her dowry to her husband’s family. Without a dowry a woman could not get married. In desperation, the father had decided he would sell his daughters into prostitution. Upon hearing the man’s story, Nicholas took a bag of gold and went to the man’s house in the middle of the night. He throw a bag of gold into the man’s window then disappeared. The eldest daughter was married shortly after. Nicholas returned another night and did the same thing for the second daughter. On the third night, the father had been waiting by the window to see who his mysterious benefactor was. When Nicholas had reached the window with the third bag of coins the father overwhelmed him with gratitude.
Nicholas, Russian Icon 1920'sAfter Nicholas spread his inheritance, Nicholas' uncle, the archbishop of Myra and also named Nicholas, took him into his home and raised him. The archbishop tonsured his nephew's hair and charged him as a reader. A reader was someone who read the scriptures aloud in the church. It was a valuable position to have during Nicholas' time because literacy was was rare. While Nicholas was a young man he made pilgrimages to Egypt and Palestine. When he returned his uncle ordained him as a priest and appointed him as the abbot of a monastery.
Nicholas's uncle died in the beginning of the fourth century. The clergy and people of Myra had gathered afterwards to chose a new bishop. Nicholas had been in Myra during the gathering. The appointment of the new bishop also coincided with the Roman Emperor Diocletian persecution of Christians. Nicholas was appointed to fill his uncle's vacancy.
In his leadership, according to Greek writers, "the divine Nicholas was seized by the magistrates, tortured, then chained and thrown into prison with other Christians. But when the great and religious Constantine, chosen by God, assumed the imperial diadem of the Romans, the prisoners were released from their bonds and with them the illustrious Nicholas." Nicholas returned to Myra and continued to serve as Archbishop of Myra.
As bishop, recalling his own life as a young orphan, Nicholas held a special place in his heart for all children. He would give money and small gifts to all children, especially orphans. He also continued to provide dowries to women who couldn't afford one of their own, thus saving them from a life of prostitution.
Nicholas not only served over the church but also in temporal matters. One day the governor had been bribed to execute three innocent men. On the day of their execution, Nicholas stopped the executioner from taking their lives. Nicholas turned on the governor so sternly that the governor repented.
Saint Nicholas of Myra saves three innocents from death by:Ilya Repin 1888Nicholas died on December 6, 345AD in Myra and was buried in Myra. Immediately after Nicholas body was entombed a transparent water began to spill out of his bones. Known as the Manna di S. Nicola, the oil is reported to have healing powers. You can learn more about this occurrence at http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/manna/
Sarcophagus of Saint Nicholas from http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Gra... Two centuries later after Nicholas' death a feast was being held in honor and the Saint Nicholas Church had been erected over his tomb. A writer in the tenth century wrote this about Nicholas, "The West as well as the East acclaims and glorifies him. Wherever there are people, in the country and the town, in the villages, in the isles, in the farthest parts of the earth, his name is revered and churches are erected in his honor." Nicholas' body remained underneath the church until 1087 when Bari seaman broke into Nicholas' tomb and stole his bones. They transferred them to their own city. The seamen landed in Bari on May 9, 1087 where they handed the saint's relic to their archbishop. The archbishop deposited Nicholas' bones within the Church of St. Stephen, where they are still located to this day. Nicholas' bones still drip the Manna di S. Nicola.
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